Into the Age of Dragons
by Sevrian Kharr
Summary: What if Voldemort was every bit as smart as advertised? Instead of killing the child he is prophesized to mark as his equal, he came up with a better plan, a way to ensure his victory? Forced to participate, the Potters end up sending their only son away, unknowlingly though, with a powerful gift. Powerful!HarryxBethany OCxMorrigan Other pairings undecided.
1. Into the Age of Dragons

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Dragon Age, or any other games, books this series may reference to.

Chapter 1: Into the Age of Dragons

 **Shouting/Written Messages**

 _Thinking_

"Talking"

" **Demonic/Draconic Speech** "

* * *

Red slit eyes watched the home where the Potters had taken shelter with interest. The defenses were of the highest caliber, rune arrays surrounded the property, and if he understood their meaning correctly; and given his record in the subject, he most likely **did** ; these were meant to warn of intrusion. He took a moment to congratulate himself on the brilliant idea to apparate out of the ground to Godric's Hollow before he turned to his minions, who'd come with him in order to create the anti-apparition field. As the ward was cast, Lord Voldemort took his first step into the Potter property, and to his destiny.

He remembered quite clearly the prophecy Rodulphus had acquired for him, of a child born to those who'd thrice defied him, and while the Longbottoms **could** fit the description as well, it was the child of James Potter and Lilly Potter he feared would become a threat, because much like the child, he was a half-blood; a secret none of his followers were privy to, of course; and in his thirst for the power he'd discovered in his youth, he became the most feared Dark Lord in the history of magic. He passed the runic away that would alert the Potters to his presence, but now it would do them no good to know. He was here, and he had one goal in his mind, to rid himself of the threat of little Harry James Potter; he'd learned the name through his newest follower, one Peter Pettigrew; but he had planned differently for this occasion, even if his first thought was to simply kill the child, he was a smart man, and he could tell something was off with the information he'd been given, and as such he concocted a new strategy, a new course of action.

He was coming closer to the door now; he took his time, Voldemort wanted to savor this moment, his triumph over all other Dark Lords in history, the moment where he would outsmart Albus Wulfric Percival Brian Dumbledore once more, for the last time. He went back to his previous train of thought, his new strategy to rid himself of any future threat one Harry James Potter could be. He was a clever man, Voldemort, and as such once he was certain the prophecy he had acquired was incomplete at best, instead of killing the child; the obvious course of action; he decided to try a ritual he had come across in his ever increasing research. The basics were quite simple, the spell was supposed to act much like the Veil of Death did, creating a rift between two realities, but instead of being a rift between the world of the living and the world of the dead, this rift would send little Harry…away. Even in all his research, Voldemort could not find the exit point of this **portal** he was to conjure, but in the end it also did not matter, as the ritual was rather clear wherever it was, the exit point was in another reality altogether.

He was in front of the door now, and he pulled his wand from the holster he had on his forearm, blasting the front door to Godric's Hollow off its hinges as he casually stepped inside, as though visiting old friends. "Lily! He's here! Take Harry and run!" James Potter; in a way he admired the man, his devotion to young Lily and their son was absolute, willing to sacrifice himself for their safety, he was much the same way with the small daughter he'd had with Bellatrix, his most faithful; yelled to his wife as he took a dueling stance, defying to the last. The man launched many powerful spells, which served to show Voldemort this man was more valuable as an ally than a foe, or even a corpse. It took him little time to overpower the Potter heir; the rituals he'd undertaken to increase his already immense power showing their effects as he simply deflected the spells before disarming the man; and the man knelt before him, tired and hurt from the power behind his own spells, blood at the corner of his mouth, his glasses broken on the floor along with his wand, but even then, even **then** he showed defiance, James was staring him down, as though daring him to finish the deed.

"Potter, I have no desire to kill any member of your family this night…" The Dark Lord spoke slowly, giving James the necessary time for the information to sink in before he continued. "Instead I come to open your eyes to the truth of one Albus Dumbledore" he continued, and saw that the man seemed rather unsurprised despite what he was saying; the fact Dumbledore, powerful wizard he is allowed one he knew was a Death Eater to follow him to his **interview** with Miss Trelawney, or how he had **insisted** upon the Potters changing secret keeper, from Sirius Black, a man who'd shown time and again his loyalty to his family, to Peter Pettigrew, the coward marauder; and as he finished speaking, James chuckled, shaking his head. "You think we don't know that? The Potter family has cut ties with Dumbledore as soon as Lils and I discovered the truth behind his schemes, but even though I would love nothing more than to see the man pay for this, I have no intentions of letting you kill my son, Riddle."

The fact that Potter knew his birth name was a shock, and it showed as his red eyes widened minutely, something the Potter heir seemed to have caught up on, and he laughed outright. "Lily did some research on you. You seem to know quite a bit about my family, so it was only right, you know?" This time it was the Potter who gave the monologue, as his mind was still processing the fact that they were **not** with the Order of the Phoenix anymore, **and** they knew of his past; there was a good reason Lily was hailed as the brightest witch of her age; but it only took him a moment to recompose, and the Dark Lord laughed, the sound had no real joy in it, and it seemed more than a little unhinged. "Oh, Potter…as I said, I have no desire to kill **any** member of your family" before the man could dare hope, he continued "of course, there is a prophecy to consider, and I will not have a threat lurking about. But I can guarantee he will live, past this night, only not here." He knew there would be a retort, and the Potter did not disappoint, as a moment later he chuckled bitterly "of course, because I will let you send my son away just so I can live. What kind of parent do you take me for?"

Voldemort smirked, his respect for the Potter heir rising further. "Well, you'll take the alternative then?" The man offered him an inquisitive raised eyebrow, so he elaborated "I kill you, go up those stairs, capture your wife; one of my Death Eaters wants her as trophy; and lastly I imprison your son, waiting for him to die of starvation" while he could simply Avada Kedavra the infant, he would not leave anything to chance, and to ensure the child would die, he would go about it the muggle way. "So, what will it be, Mr. Potter?"

* * *

Lily looked into her baby boy's crib, her eyes watering as she thought of how he would not have his mommy and daddy with him as he grew up. She had ensured at least he would live through a ritual she had discovered when they were preparing for the inevitable attack. It had no real name, so she decided to call it, for this specific case, the **mother's sacrifice.** It didn't require much, she had prepared an array around the protected person; in this case, Harry's crib; and keyed the runes to her own life, which would mean that, the moment she was murdered, her killed would be ever unable to touch her child lest he risk killing himself. One could argue that as a wizard, Tom would not even need to come close to her child in order to kill him, but that is where the real genius behind this ritual came to action.

Her murderer would not only be unable to touch her son for the remaining days of their life, but their magic would not work against the protected, in fact it would always backfire, and hurt him instead. She had thought it all through, believing without a doubt the Dark Lord would kill her before turning his wand on Harry. James' plan was for her to run away with their son while he stalled the Dark Lord, but she knew better, there was no place on this Earth she could hide from Voldemort given the determination he had on killing her only son. She took what time James could buy them to spend a few last moments with her dearest son, the person she loved the most in this world.

"Harry…my brave boy…" she fought the tears that threatened to fall as she spoke, her voice cracking "a very bad man is coming, and mommy will have to go away…" his big, green eyes watched her, he smiled at his mom, not really understanding what was being said. "I just need you to remember that I love you very much, okay?" She heard steps coming up the stairs and closed her eyes for a moment, to gather her courage in order to face Voldemort. The steps grew closer, and mere moments later, as she finally turned around, she found herself face to face with…her husband. He was very hurt, and no longer had his wand, but he was alive, and for a moment she dared hope, until she saw the frown on his face as he looked toward their son. "Lils…we need to talk."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing "and you just agreed to this? Sending our baby away so we can live?" The man flinched, but he was resolute it seemed, and he stared her in the eyes about to speak something, when she heard a voice that made her blood run cold. "Shall I tell her the alternative, Potter? I left a few details out when I presented such option to you, maybe she'd like to hear how my Death Eaters would **enjoy** her as she watched her son starve to death?" She looked from her husband to the Dark Lord, the gravity of their situation sinking in as she turned to her baby once more. Her ritual had been rendered null; since if she didn't die her son would not be protected at all. She was not afraid to die, or any other fate that awaited her at the hands of Voldemort and his cronies, but she would not be able to bear watching her only son suffer. "It…it doesn't really seem like we have a choice in the matter." She watched as Voldemort passed her, to stand in front of her child for a moment, as though savoring his victory momentarily, before he turned to them. "You two will help me prepare the ritual…consider this your…initiation."

* * *

She stared at the parchment in which Tom had written the ritual, anger temporarily forgotten. This was genius! The way it worked, simulating the Veil of Death; she'd seen the Veil in action as she had been the one to capture more than a few Death Eaters, and it was mandatory the captor be present for the execution. The possibilities this opened, different realities, different people to learn from…she turned from the parchment to the material she'd gathered; it was in her son's best interest that this went without any accidents; making sure she had gotten everything they'd need. As she finished revising the materials, she was reminded why this was needed in the first place, and she grew once more angry, angry at herself for failing her son, not being able to foresee Voldemort's actions properly, angry at her husband for accepting Dumbledore's proposal and changing the secret keeper, angry at Voldemort for being every bit the intelligent bastard she feared him to be. But most of all she was angry at Dumbledore, she was angry at the man who played with her family, scheming behind their backs so whatever future **he** designed could come to fruition.

"I hope everything is in order, Lily. We wouldn't want anything to happen to little Harry, would we?" She heard Voldemort speak and wanted to lash out at the man, but knew he held her child's fate in his hands; and she didn't mean because of the wand he wielded; so she simply nodded, starting the preparations for the ritual that would send her son away. She hoped that wherever he went, he would be loved and cared for in a way she couldn't do. "Good…I shall remain here for the proceedings then, if it's all the same to you." She heard him, not really looking his way as she concentrated on the ritual. She didn't really bother replying either as, although presented in the form of a request, he was just letting her know that was what he **would** be doing regardless.

"What do you make of this portal, Lily?" He was truly curious to know her thoughts, if only so he was able to have an intelligent conversation with someone who was as curious about magic as he was. He noticed that, for the first time since he entered the room, the Lady Potter stopped her work and turned her attention to him. "Where did you come by it? The simple fact that this person theorized about other traveling to other realities is a wonder in itself, but that he was able to create this spell, it's…nothing short of genius." Voldemort favored her with a smile; it was good to hear someone who could appreciate the nuances of magic like he did. "In truth I came upon this specific spell purely by chance, as I searched the Black family's personal library." He watched as the girl nodded absently, not really noticing just where he'd found the spell. "It is incomplete, did you notice?" He watched as she nodded, taking a look at the notes made by the author near the bottom of the parchment. "I searched high and low for the continuation; sure that there would be mentions of what other realities the creator of this spell had come in contact with…or even details on how to specify what reality one desire a portal to" he noticed that the red haired Lady Potter was listening intently "but all further research was proven pointless, as apparently the rest of that parchment has been lost." He finished, and the female seemed rather disappointed he hadn't been able to find more about it, but a moment later she gave the paper in her grasp an inquisitive look, and began speaking as though to herself. "Maybe…maybe by changing a few of the key ingredients in the array, like here, it states it requires dragon's blood, but I don't think it's actually a requirement for the spell to work, but for the location you want to go…" he watched as she went through the notes in the paper once more "yes, see here? These are the actual requirements for the spell to really work, but the ingredients further down from here…the, extra ingredients so to speak, are about the location…if only I had more time…"

Voldemort, although impressed with her ability to break down the spell like that, decided to cut her off before they ran out of time. "That is indeed very interesting, and I will absolutely want to continue this particular conversation in the future, but at the moment I want a second with your son." She turned her head toward him faster than he thought possible, and her eyes showed the defiance he saw back in their home once more, and really he admired that, but now was not the time for this. "If you please…I promise you from one parent to another, he will not be harmed in any way." He watched her leave, his words not really sinking in, and too late she realized what he'd said, stopping just outside the door and turning to confront him, but he simply waved his hand and the door shut and locked in her face. "Now, then, young Harry…" he began, wondering why Bellatrix had set him up for this. Maybe having a child of her own softened the witch a little, if he were to ever confide in anyone, having a child softened **him** even if just a little. "I am sure you will not remember any of this, but in the event that you do, I want you to know that your parents love you very much, and only agreed to this because I left them with no other option." The small child inside the chamber watched him with big, emerald eyes, a smile slowly forming on his face as he raised his chubby hands to try taking hold of the older wizard. "Now, I'm going to leave a little knowledge for you to use in your new home, along with a piece of advice. Never accept anything at face value, boy, for good and evil are subjective. If you believe anything, believe this, there is no good or evil there is only power, and those too weak to seek it." He wanted to leave it at that, but decided to add a little more wisdom for the child. "You see, good and evil are subjective, not because of such idiocy as **it's in the eye of the observer** but because no matter what really happened, it will be only the victor's version that is perceived as the truth, and their actions, **good**. Dead men tell no tale..."

He watched as the young boy giggled at him and continued trying to catch hold of him. It made him smile fondly at the infant. Dumbledore's ever growing idiocy made them enemies, but, otherwise, he could see himself growing to love the child as his own one day. He pulled the bag filled with scrolls that Bellatrix had arranged for the boy, with spells of all sorts; from things to help in house chores to the Cruciatus; and his own present, a bag full of books containing all sort of knowledge, from magic theory, to a nobleman's duties and even a book or two on diplomacy. After placing both bags with the child, he unlocked the door and called in Lily, who arrived alongside her husband. "I will give you a minute with the child, and then we proceed." He didn't wait for their inquiries, instead walking past them and out the door.

* * *

She walked slowly through her estate, her eyes downcast and thoughts far away, on the child she had been robbed of years ago. It had been something she never truly got over, her second son's death. Eleanor Cousland, wife to the Teyrn Bryce Cousland of Highever had been a sad woman since that day, not even her oldest son's wedding and subsequent arrival of her grandson easer her pain. She looked at the gardens of her castle; the beautiful flowers that she would tend to herself, the life the seemed to emanate from the sight did nothing to her. Once she would simply close her eyes and smile as she felt the wind hit her face, bringing the sweet smell of her garden to her senses. The woman sighed, ready to turn in for the night, when a cry caught her attention.

It had been a child's weeping voice she'd heard, and she rushed in the direction she heard it, arriving at the sight of a small boy, crying loudly as a brand appeared upon his breast. A triangle, with a circle inside it and a line passing exactly in the middle of both…she barely took notice of such a thing, rather focusing her attention on the boy, who she picked off the floor, causing a note to fall from somewhere to the ground. The Lady of Highever crouched, picking up the note. **The child's name is Harry** there was two other names, but both were crossed out **just Harry. His parents…we sent him away in order to protect him from what is to come, so please, whoever finds him…love him as we could not, that is all I ask.** It was clear the note was written in a hurry, as there were many mistakes and the paper seemed wet with what she could only conclude were tears from the boy's parents. Eleanor took a moment to see the things that were near the boy, two bags and a few letters that simply read **To Harry**. She looked at the boy; she had subconsciously been trying to calm him down by moving her body in a steady rhythm from side to side, humming a lullaby; and saw his big green eyes aimed directly at her, still wet from crying; from the pain of the brand, no doubt; a pout upon his lips that had her cooing. "Of course I'll take care of you…" she said, flicking his nose gently, causing the boy to try swatting her hand away and pout harder, to which the woman simply laughed.

"Harry Cousland…I like it, what do you say little man?" The little boy simply looked at her, making an unintelligible comment and she chuckled; the first time in years; as she wondered how her husband would react to their new son. It wasn't quite common for a Teyrn of all things to just adopt a child, but she was sure she could convince Bryce, as the man scarce denied her requests. "Come on, let's take you to bed." She said leaving the bags she had found near him for the servants to pick up in the morning. At the moment she could only care about the small baby in her arms, who unknowingly breathed new life into her with the simplest act of **needing** her.

* * *

AN: Ok so, lemme talk seriously for a second here...I wanted the beggining of the story to be different, and the manner in which Harry arrived in Thedas as well, so instead of the usual "Veil" usage, I went a different route, and I tried to rationalize it in this first chapter. Magic isn't exactly rational though so maybe it's going to be kinda conflicting in that regard...when I say magic isn't rational, by the way, I mean there isn't an exactl explanation where it comes from(in the HP series anyway), kinda like the force, although George fucked up using midichlorians to try explaining it...anyway back on track here...

I hope you guys like it =3 It's going to be a single pairing, this one, although, maybe, just maybe I'll to a triangle.

See ya \o


	2. Facing the Beast Within

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Dragon Age, or any other Game/Book referenced to in this story

Chapter 2: Facing the Beast Within

 **Shouting/Written Messages**

 _Thinking_

"Talking"

 **"Demonic/Draconic Speech"**

* * *

 **†** **Timeskip: 14 Years Later †**

He opened his eyes, noticing the extra weight on his chest as he did so, and as his eyes adjusted to the light of the waking world, he turned his gaze downward, at the elven servant he'd taken to bed, again. He had wondered, at first, what his parents would think of his behavior, but his mother simply laughed it off, stating that boys will be boys, and his father simply said "that's my pup" so he believed they were both okay with his present arrangement. He gently got off the bed, as to not awake the girl, who still slept. His eyes searched the room for a moment, finding both bags his mother had told him she'd found beside him when he was a baby, he pushed himself off the bed, making his way to the bags slowly, he opened one up; one of the first things he had done when his mother considered him ready to receive the presents his birth parents had left him was to open both letters addressed to him. It was then he learned he was a wizard from a place called Earth, and that his parents had been attacked and beaten by a Dark Lord, and ultimately forced to choose between agreeing with a ritual that would forever send him away, or be forced to watch him die.

He opened one of the bags, the one he knew contained the books he'd been given, and made his way inside; it was amazing, and more than a little amusing what the magic from his home could accomplish; looking at shelves upon shelves of different assortment of books. He walked to the area he knew contained information on animagi, something about his dream, how he'd been a dragon in it perturbed him, and he sought to know more. Maybe it would prove fruitless and the dream was just that, a dream, but just maybe it had been something more, and as far as he was concerned it probably was. He took a book from the shelf, not really bothering with the title, as he'd learned some of his people were horrible at naming things. He flipped a few pages, passing through the first few chapters, which depicted the basics of Animagus transformation and how to seek one's inner beast, and landed upon the chapter depicting each beast. "Let's see here…Basilisk…" he flipped a few more pages "hmm, drake…" he went back a couple of pages "ah…dragons"

 **So your form is the powerful Dragon? This is a very rare animagus form, and fewer still are the ones who transform into something other than an Irish Greenscale or the Common Welsh. There is only one registered case of a warlock; for more information of warlocks, please purchase our book detailing magic capacity and listings entitled** Harry sighed, he didn't know why he bothered reading so far, maybe learning there was more to his people than just wizards and witches roused his curiosity, but he would get back to that at another time, for the moment he simply required information on his possible animagus trait. **The animagus form from the draconic family; Dragons, Drake, Wyverns and the like; is only achievable by the most powerful of warlocks, given the intricacies of the transformation. But even then, as stated, most will only transform into the Common Welsh form or the Irish Greenscale. Rarer still is the warlock powerful enough to transform into other types, only one having transformed into what is now called the Hungarian Horntail, the most lethal and powerful species of dragon there is.**

 **Unlike most other transformations, where the user is required to grow accustomed to the animal form, the dragon is an impatient animal, and will require to be dominated in order to calm down. The only recorded warning ever registered is dreams about becoming a dragon; it is believed that if the animal senses his human counterpart is weak the dream turns to a nightmare, with the beast destroying everything the warlock cherishes. Research on the why was inconclusive, but it is believed to be incentive for the human to grow stronger in order to win against the beast within.**

Harry closed the book. There was more about the transformation itself, but he had already read those chapters, as he had become fascinated with the fact he might be able to turn into an animal. The search for ingredients for the necessary potions was quite easy, to be honest. Although the names were different, the biology was pretty much the same. He walked to another section, this one on magical beasts, and pulled a book about Dragons, in order to identify the species of the great beast he'd seen in his dream. He didn't bother with reading any other page; one look at the picture of the beast was enough to understand it was not the one. He had finally gotten to the page with a picture that reminded him of what he'd seen, and he decided to read it over.

 **The Hungarian Horntail, known as the most dangerous of all breeds, is as the name suggests native to Hungary. Horntails are known to reach fifty feet in length, have yellow slit eyes, black scales and bronze horns, with horns of similar coloration protruding from the long tail. Their known diet is cattle, sheep, goats and when available, humans.**

 **The fire from a Hornail's breath can reach up to fifty feet, and despite the distance, the flames can melt stone even at its maximum reach. This breed is, as previously stated, the most dangerous, and contact with it is unadvised unless accompanied by professional help. For more information on the Horntail and other dragons, please read** ** _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_** **by Newt Scamander.**

Harry let out a disappointed groan as he closed the book in order to look at its cover. **Dragons: A basic look** he read, sighing. "Should have guessed" he said simply, but in the end he'd found what he wanted, and that in itself was already worth it. Content with his progress for the moment, the Cousland youngest walked away; leaving the **library bag** as he'd called it, and turned his attention to the now waking elf girl. "Good Morning" he said simply, watching as she jumped, startled by his voice. "My-my lord…forgive me, I'll be leaving immediately" the girl stammered and he chuckled. "If you do leave, it's because you must return to your duties, I enjoy your company, or else I wouldn't continue to court you." He smirked as her cheeks turned a light pink and she nodded, before preparing herself for the day, something he decided to do himself.

He put on a rather simple armor set, composed mostly of hard leather, and picked up his two swords, strapping them to his back before he turned and left his room, in order to find his father, as he needed permission to go to Lothering, because he wanted to be far away from his home when he turned for the first time, in case he could not control **the beast within** as the book described. As he approached the door, he heard his sister-in-law speaking to his brother, something about their child, but he paid them no mind, leaving them to their privacy, he walked first to his father's chambers, to see no one there, he then turned and left the joined rooms; the castle had a section dedicated to the rooms of the family, and in a separate aisle, the guest rooms.

He walked a few feet, before turning at the Atrium, continuing on his way, passing a small garden; close to where his mother had found him years ago; and reaching the end of the Atrium, where there were two choices possible. Both led to the Main Hall, but if he went to the right, he'd pass the Library; where he would have lessons from Aldous, something he was very glad for, as he loved learning about his family and home; and if he chose to go to the left, he would pass the Dining Room, which was probably empty at the moment, save for the guards stationed there. Deciding to go right, Harry passed by the Library to hear Aldous teaching, but as it was a lesson he had already heard, he simply continued on his way, passing by a turn on the path, which lead to the Guard Post, he was soon at the Main Hall, and there he found his parents, speaking to First Enchanter Irving; he knew the man from when his parents took him to the Circle, upon learning he was a mage, only to learn that he had absolutely no connection to the Fade, and that was the only reason the Templars allowed Harry to return home with his parents, deeming his branch of magic **inoffensive** …of course, at the time he only knew **Evanesco, Reparo,** and **Aguamenti** , plus a few well told lies from him, and he was home free. The Templars, to ensure he could only ever learn those three spells, tried searching his bags, only to find pieces of clothing on one and supplies on the other.

"Mother, father…First Enchanter." He nodded at his father and mother before he turned his attention to the first enchanter, who smiled at him "Ah, the young lord, just who I wished to see." Harry raised an eyebrow at that, turning his attention to his parents, who smiled reassuringly at him, something that calmed him down. "The Templars wanted me to check on you, to ensure you still had no connection to the fade" he said, pulling a vial of the solution used for the Harrowing, and after drinking it, he returned the vial to the First Enchanter. "As usual, I cannot enter the Fade, First Enchanter. I couldn't enter it when I first went to the Circle, and I cannot enter it now. If you try any spell on me, I'm sure you'll find that the Fade has no effect on me." Harry opened his arms wide, allowing the First Enchanter to cast a simple spell on him, but the **Fireball** dissipated before it even came in touch with his skin. "And in turn, I am quite sure I'm still not able to affect you because of your connection to the Fade…so that makes me clear, yes?" He watched as the First Enchanter nodded, the smile returning to his face as the young man dropped his arms, a small grin appearing upon his face.

"If that's out of the way…father, I'd like your permission to go to Lothering, I need some ingredients for my studies." His father nodded absently, aware of his ability in battle, before he went back to his own talk with the First Enchanter. "Well then, I'll see you soon father…mother." He turned from his parents, eyes the First Enchanter once more. "First Enchanter" He said, walking past the man, before he stopped an idea coming to mind. "First Enchanter, may I come to the Circle at a later date, I need books on potion-making and the Castle's library doesn't have the assortment I need." Sure, the castle had basics on the crafting, but he wanted more advanced stuff, and for that he would either have to go out of his way to search for it…or he could simply go to the Circle, where the biggest collection of books on many arts was held. "Of course, my boy. You are always welcome in the Circle, you know that." _Of course, you guys nearly denied me any claim on my family's titles and land despite me not being a conventional mage_ he wanted to say, but wisely kept his mouth shut as he knew it was no fault of the First Enchanter's; in fact, it had been only the First Enchanter's explanation of his magic that allowed Harry to continue being a heir to the Cousland Family. So with one last smile to the older man, Harry turned and walked out of the Hall, making his way out of his family's Castle.

* * *

With a loud cracking noise, Harry reappeared, this time in the outskirts of Lothering; he had been there before with his mother, when he was **actually** hunting for ingredients for his Animagus potion; and as soon as he appeared, he made sure to check for any passerby's. Assuring there was no one nearby to see him; he made his way, not to the town of Lothering, but to the nearby forest, where he would try transforming for the first time. As he came upon a clearing, the young Cousland started placing the wards he'd been practicing for some time now. First was the one to repel **Muggles** ; it was funny, the way they referred to those without magic; the second was an alarm, as any mage would be able to pass his field no problem. The third was a Notice-Me-Not charm, enveloping the whole area, as he was pretty sure he **didn't** want anyone seeing a big ass dragon appearing out of nowhere.

As he finished the last one, Harry sat on the ground, cross-legged, and closed his eyes, in order to find and confront his inner dragon. He had only just closed his eyes when he heard the roar coming from the skies. As he opened them once more, he was able to see, quite clearly for the first time, his inner beast, the so called Hungarian Horntail. He slowly got up from his position, watching the huge beast as he did so, and upon standing, he drew both his weapons from their sheaths, watching the dragon for the moment where it would dive at him, to start their confrontation. But instead, the mighty reptile landed before him, and began morphing, its body twisting and shrinking on itself until it was an exact replica of Harry, except for the slit pupils and the eye color, which was yellow.

"You didn't really expect to win against a fifty feet long dragon, did you?" It said, sounding exactly the same as well. Harry raised an eyebrow, shrugging after a moment's pause. "I was ready to face whatever challenge in order to prove I'm trustworthy." He answered simply, causing the dragon's eyebrow to shoot upward, its face; a perfect mimic of his, which unnerved him somewhat; showing how surprised it was upon hearing that answer. A moment later, however, the surprise gave way to laughter "I like you" it said, before launching itself forward, sword poised to strike. Harry parried the first blow, a vertical swing aimed at his torso, but had to roll out of the way as the second sword descended in a diagonal slash. His first answer was to use the **Expelliarmus** spell to disarm the creature, but the magic did not accomplish anything. "No no no…this here is a fight of physical power, show me you're stronger!" It launched itself once more, twisting its body as it came closer in order to avoid the thrust Harry had aimed for its stomach, and then using the momentum of the twist to launch another slash, this time a horizontal attack, aimed for the boy's head.

It was only his fast reflexed that saved him then, eyes wide in fear and surprise as he looked at the draconic version of him, smirking down at him; he had leaned his body backwards, only to fall on his back as a second strike passed where his hips were mere moments before.

"I'm disappointed, I expected more from someone of Godric's Lineage" It said, confusing Harry, who scrambled back to his feet, deciding to take the offensive this time. The first attack was easily dodged, an upward swing of the sword that the dragon simply sidestepped, and then came his second attack, a thrust aimed at the chest, using the sword on his dominant hand; despite his ambidexterity; to increase power just as the dragon had begun moving. The attack was to try and get his replica off-guard, but the strike was parried, and the counter-attack had him impaled upon the sword of his inner beast. "Well…it seems I win, **Harry**. I wonder if your family tastes any good." Harry's eyes narrowed at the remark, and he impaled himself further upon the sword, all the way to the hilt, in order to come closer to his counterpart. "You will not touch them." He said forcefully, eyes alight with anger and he roared in order to grant himself the strength in order to hit the dragon; thrusting his own sword downward into the beast's chest; before he fell to his knees.

There was thunder in the background, something that seemed to confuse the dragon, as it disappeared. "That…was not supposed to happen." It said, its torso already gone, leaving only his head watching the black haired boy with interest. As the last of the dragon disappeared, Harry felt the first jolt of pain, a burning sensation that began on his stomach and quickly spread all over. The wound made by the sword long since healed, but now he writhed on the floor in agony, roaring his pain as his whole body seemed to burn. His skin would literally peel off; revealing the red glow underneath, his eyes glowed ominously, steaming as they too burned. Then was the pain from having his back being ripped apart. He could feel the flesh giving way; **something** was intentionally tearing him open in order to be set free. Thankfully for the young man, he didn't have to endure through it all, as moments later, with a last pained roar to the heavens, young Harry Cousland fainted.

* * *

AN: Second chapter =3 I had it completed yesterday, to be honest (yeah I'm **that** into Dragon Age at the moment) but I decided to wait until today, so I had time to continue the story further. I have almost completed the next chapter so I'll either post it later today or tomorrow. I'm actually interested in your opinion here...I'm thinking of pairing Garret Hawke (That's the default name if I'm not wrong) with Aveline (I always wanted to...but Bioware wouldn't let me ;-; why Bioware, why?). It's going to be a slow buildup, since you know, she has to kill her husband to save him...

In order not to spoil anything, I'll say this, although I hate stories with drama (I call it bullshit) this one will have its share of it for the next few chapters. Those who don't like it, sorry, try bearing with me...it's going to be excrutiating writing it ._. Hmm...what else...what else...Oh, I can't make up my mind, so I'll leave it to you: Should I make HarryxBethany into a HarryxBethanyx? if so, who would you like? (Please give me good reasons, I appreciate looks as much as the next guy, but it's personality that matters people...for instance I won't accept Isabela, because of her ahh **free spirit** yeah...free spirit '-')

Hmm...anything else?...ah...can't think of anything right now so that'll be all...oh wait wait...Review answers!

ChaosAvatar18: I knew I'd be called on it xD don't worry, no story is forgotten, I promise you that. I just have a really hard time focusing on one thing, unless I'm in **the mood**.

Valiryo: Hmm...granted I could have built up to it...show how Voldemort came upon the spell and whatnot...if you mean the time between him defeating the Potters and sending Harry away, I'll just say: Dumbles. He **had** to be quick or else the old Meddler would interfere, again. Thanks for the criticism, I hope the rushed feel goes away with the next few chapters, as I'm going to build up on some stuff now.

Okay, now I think that's it.

Hope you guys enjoyed it...review any and all criticism (flames will be used to burn Darkspawn) and compliments too (I like 'em I really do xD)

See ya o/


	3. Well, Shit

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Dragon Age, or any other book/movie/game referenced to in this story.

 **Chapter 3: Well...shit**

 **Shouting/Written Messages**

 _Thinking_

"Speaking"

 _ **Demonic/Draconic Speech**_

* * *

He slowly opened his eyes, looking at the ceiling of a stone house. He turned his head to the side ever so slightly, trying to see if he was home, but he was greeted by the sight of an unfamiliar face. A girl, yellow eyed and with an anxious expression on her face was watching him, and upon meeting his eyes, she jumped, giving a startled squeak that Harry found quite cute, before she turned and called for her parents.

"Hi…I'm…" he had tried to sit up as he spoke, only to feel as though the whole world was spinning around him, which caused him to lay back once more with a groan. "I'm Harry Cousland…am I dead?" He was genuinely curious, as all the pain he had been through after his battle with his **inner beast** was sure to have killed him. "If I am…maybe…" he tried to focus, although his mind wandered to the pretty girl and her beautiful eyes. "Why is someone so beautiful sharing my damnation?" He turned his head once more toward her, seeing the pink that tinted her cheeks as she lowered her head shyly. A moment later, a chuckle was heard from the door, and in walked an older male, clad in mage clothing, a staff at his back as he eyed the young Cousland.

"You are quite alive, my lord Cousland." Malcolm said as he came closer, scanning the boy's body with his eyes. "My daughter, Bethany found you while she walked near our home." He paused for a moment and chuckled. "Actually she first heard you, since you were screaming quite loudly." He heard the boy groan, probably not finding his humor at all…humorous. "She ran to me, and in turn I rushed to your location. You gave us quite a scare young man." He was looking at the boy, watching as said boy turned his attention once more to the shy Bethany and smiled at her, thanking her for saving his life. He smiled at the two, but a moment later, as his eyes caught a glimpse of what had actually interested him about the boy, he turned serious. "Now tell me, kid. How is it that you have wings?" He watched as the boy's eyes widened in surprise and he bolted up, sitting on the bed they had allowed him to use and spread his black scaled wings, quite unaware that he was controlling the appendages expertly as though he'd had them all his life.

Malcolm had to laugh as the first thing the boy checked was Bethany's reaction, turning his wide-eyed fearful gaze toward his youngest. The boy's cheeks gained some color at that, and he turned away embarrassedly. "I'm Malcolm, by the way, Malcolm Hawke, at your service young lord." The boy nodded slowly, but his eyes wouldn't meet anyone's, as he was either deep in thought or just afraid because of his newfound wings. He walked closer to the kid, even as he flinched; he placed a gentle hand upon the boy's head, ruffling his hair. "You needn't worry child" he started, eyes watching the boy relax a little "when she came to you, these" he pointed at the wings "were already there." The boy looked at him, and for the first time he noticed that his pupils were slits, much like a dragon's.

"My…my parents…how will they react? Will they even want me near them now?" Harry whispered, not really caring that the other two were close enough to hear it. "Maybe it's best if I don't come back at all…" The older man, Malcolm snorted and he snapped his head in his direction. "By the Maker, boy. They are your parents; something like this shouldn't come between you. Besides, mages are known to be able to shapeshift, maybe this is reversible? If it is, I'll teach you, I just so happen to be a mage, you see." That seemed to get a reaction out of the boy, as he snorted a laugh, looking toward him for a moment. "I appreciate it, Malcolm" he smiled at the boy, appreciating the fact he wasn't once for pleasantries "but my brand of Magic is…different from yours." He couldn't help the questioning raise of an eyebrow, as the boy looked at him, a grin slowly forming on his face.

"I'll demonstrate" Harry slowly pushed himself off the bed, and powered through the dizziness that threatened to overcome him as he did so, walking rather slowly toward the door, he motioned for the two to follow him. His wings folded on his back and **disappeared** , something that caused the two following him to gasp, which in turn made him turn his head in their direction. "What's wrong?" He asked, having completely forgotten his extra appendages at the mention of magic, which was something he really loved. "Nothing really, we just remembered that my wife and sons would be home soon, and we haven't prepared lunch yet." The older mage told him, and he stopped as well, turning once more toward them and. "Ah…well, I'll demonstrate my brand of magic another time, then. I should let you and your family eat…I should go home, for better or worse, I need to see my parents." His mood made another turn for the worse, his eyes becoming downcast for a moment, fearing his mother's reaction most of all, before he disappeared with a loud crack, leaving behind the two gaping mages, looking at the spot he'd been in.

* * *

He appeared again in his room, his eyes scanning the place to ensure he was alone, before he turned to the door and walked out, to look for his parents. It was then he realized, he had no idea **how long** he'd been away. He'd told his parents beforehand that he was going to try transforming into his animagus form; what he said in front of the First Enchanter being but a lie in order to maintain his freedom. He sighed, he was so stupid! He shouldn't have rushed into it, he should have waited until he was stronger, **better** in order to face the dragon, but instead he rushed in, unprepared, and almost **lost**. For a moment he wondered what would happen if he'd lost to his inner beast, would he be forever trapped in a dragon's body? Harry shook his head to try getting such thoughts out of his head, concentrating on that task at hand, finding his parents and showing that he'd become; hopefully, Ser Hawke could help him with this little problem.

It really hadn't taken long to find his mother, as she was sitting on her bed, a nearly desperate look upon her face. As he opened the door, she looked up at the noise and gasped upon seeing her child, rushing toward him and hugging him tightly. "Harry!" Her exclamation was more than likely enough to alert his older brother and sister-in-law of his presence, but she wasn't quite done. "We were so worried! The first two days were pretty normal, since we know how you love exploring, but when you didn't come home once for a whole week…!" There was urgency in her tone, and her eyes were red, showing she'd cried recently. A moment later she frowned at him and slapped him, quite hard too. "You better have a good explanation young man! Your father came close to leading a search party, several times!" Harry looked down, feeling guilty, even though a part of him was rather elated they cared so much; he'd always wondered if they would just send him away, like his birth parents had, years ago; he took a moment, as well as several deep breaths to calm himself, before he looked toward his mother, unfolding his wings from his back. "I failed…sort of. I had to fight it, and I wasn't ready…" his voice failed when he saw her take a step back in surprise; though he thought it fear, as her eyes widened and she put a hand over her mouth; but he powered through, despite the pain he felt.

"I couldn't win…it had dealt the final blow, but then it taunted me one last time, and I became angry, and ran it through with my own sword." He continued, noticing his mother was quite over the initial shock and was now looking him in the eyes; and he suppressed a smile when she took notice of the change in them as well; "I should have waited, but I was so excited about being able to change into an animal that I didn't think on the consequences…now I'm stuck looking like this." He watched as she looked at him for a moment, her angry frown returning to her face. "And what, you thought I would hate you, be afraid of you so you waited a **whole week** before coming home?" He gulped at her tone, shaking his head rapidly. "No! I-I mean, I blacked out during the…change, and woke up today to be honest. I was rescued by a mage, Malcolm Hawke, he said his name was." He watched as his mother nodded absently at the name, clearly not knowing the man, but he also noticed her eyes narrowing a little as she watched him. "And this Hawke, what did he ask in return?" Harry shook his head "actually, he offered to teach me. He said mages have a branch of magic called shapeshifting, and maybe what I've done can be reversed." For a moment he was surprised that she didn't much care he was an apostate, but then he remembered that many lords had dealings with apostates, mostly when they needed something done **quietly**. It was amazing how efficient apostates were as assassins, and the fear of being turned over to the Templars kept most honest in their deals, which was another point for them.

"I would meet with this Hawke, before deciding anything…still; I do believe you have someone else to apologize to." She said, motioning with her head at something behind him, and the youngest Cousland dreaded turning to find out who it was. "It is good to see you safe, Harry. And I agree with your mother, I will meet this Hawke before deciding." He heard his father say, and he couldn't define by the tone of voice if the man was mad or really glad to see have him back, but all doubt left the young noble's mind as his father continued speaking "now come, I do believe you are a week behind on your training." The young man gulped, looked at his mother, who wore a highly amused expression, before resigning to his fate as he turned and followed his father.

His father was silent as they walked, clearly angered at him for not being home for so long. At times, he would try speaking up, only to find himself unable to, and eventually he just gave up altogether, simply watching his father as they walked to the training area. "Allowing you to wield two swords was clearly a mistake, since you apparently lack the skill to properly use them" his father's voice wasn't harsh, and he could see on the man's face that he wasn't mad either, but he still felt a little hurt, as it had been his choice to learn such style. "We will find a style suited to you, son" his father had apparently seen his downcast expression upon being told of his lacking mastery over the style he had been training for the past years "but it would seem dual wielding is not it."

For the rest of that day, and the days that followed, Bryce would train harry in the sword and shield type of fighting. It lacked the offensiveness, and the overall flare of dual wielding, but he could not deny the appeal of the good old **sword and board** as his father called it. He still dodged and weaved around the older man's strikes, but when caught mid-dodge, he no longer had to twist his arm to block the sword, he would simply raise his shield arm and block the strike altogether, before pushing the sword away and countering. Despite all that, it was pretty clear to both of them that this was not for him either, as his body seemed built for a more flexible fighting style. "You are clearly no warrior" Bryce began, and upon seeing the disappointed look on his pup's face he chuckled "I mean you are not fit for my type of fighting. It would appear you'll be better fit with a more…subtle fighting." It had been a week since they started, and in that time he'd spoken with his wife, Eleanor, about their son's progress, or lack thereof, and she suggested he let her train the boy in the fighting style she picked up over the years. He had been reluctant; although it lasted all of two minutes before she persuaded him; because the way his wife fought was too close to a spymaster's; and assassin; and although he could see his soon fitting rather brilliantly at that, he feared what the boy could be used for, given his **extra** abilities.

Harry felt anxious, not because it was the day his mother would be taking over his training, but because she had asked that he bring Malcolm Hawke and his daughter before her. He knew she wanted to thank both of them for the most part, but he was also very much aware that was **not** all she wanted to speak to them about. He walked into his mother's room, and she turned his way, wearing the clothing she would wear during his lessons, leather armor and two daggers on each side of her hip, as well as a longbow at her back. "Ah, my son" she said, a smile forming "are you ready? I have told your father we shall be away for a moment." He nodded at her, extending a hand. He had been practicing apparating with objects in his hand, whenever he'd successfully take one he'd try something larger. Of course humans would be quite different but to know he could successfully transport an object the size of the statues in the Castle made him confident. "Let us go then, mother." He said, before both disappeared in a crack; the noise had become quieter as well, maybe practice would make it silent?.

* * *

They appeared in front of the shack the Hawke family lived in, his mother wobbled for a moment, clearly dizzy from the travel. As he waited for her to recover, Harry took a moment to assess their surroundings, noticing two boys, one older than he was and the other closer to his own age, staring at him, both with mouths hanging open, each wielding wooden swords. They stayed like that, Harry with a comforting hand at his mother's back as she tried to regain her composure, the two boys staring incredulously and the sound of the Cousland's continuous chuckling sounding off. It remained that way, until out walked the person he wanted to see, staff in hand and a fire spell in the other. "Who-oh…it's just Harry." He turned his head a little, and Harry noticed the man had his eyes upon his companion "Bethany! Harry's here" he said, before an impish grin spread across his face "she's been worried you know, wondering just where you were…" He could **feel** his cheeks coloring, but decided to ignore that, as his mother seemed to have regained her balance and turned her attention to the three, eyes wandering from the oldest to the children, before she opened an easy smile.

"Hello, Ser Hawke, I'm Eleanor Cousland, Harry's mother." She said, approaching the mage, who smiled as well, offering his hand in greeting. "Malcolm Hawke, your ladyship, at your service." Harry watched as the two seemed to just stare at each other for a moment, before his mother pulled her hand away "My son tells me you're the one who saved his life recently…" the man seemed to be about to speak, but she continued, not giving him the time "I would thank you for that, on behalf of all of house Cousland." She gave the man a bow, and Harry noticed that he seemed rather embarrassed by the gesture and he chuckled awkwardly and scratched at his cheek. She recomposed herself and continued "I have also been told you wish to teach my son how to…shapeshift." The man nodded, and Harry thought that would be it, but his mother continued. "What is it exactly that you require in return Ser Hawke?" She asked, rather straightforwardly, to the amusement of the Hawke patriarch, who shook his head "Oh, nothing really. It will be enough to sate my curiosity, since I have never seen such shapeshifting before in my years. Of course, I will require that young Harry there come to my home daily, mostly because he seemed rather adamant on shifting back." Harry watched as his mother nodded to those words, her head turning so she could look at him. "He was rather afraid of what our reaction would be…" He saw as she seemed to think something up, and turned once more to the apostate. "I will do you one better, Ser Hawke" she began, and he dreaded what devious plan she had come up with this time "my husband and I are rather fearful of parting with our boy so soon after his last escapade." He watched the older Hawke male nodded; no doubt he understood how they felt, being a parent himself; before turning his attention to his mother once more. "That being said, I propose that, instead of my son coming to your home daily for his lessons, you come to live in Highever for the duration of my son's…education." His eyes widened, but he dared not undermine his mother's authority; partly because he couldn't, he wasn't even heir to the Teyrnir of Highever, Fergus was; so he simply looked once more to the mage, watching as he seemed to weigh his options.

Obviously the older mage had dealings with lords before, as he did not question why they would strike such a bargain with an apostate. Instead he seemed to consider it, looking at his children for a moment. "What of my family?" He asked, and Harry watched as his mother turned her attention from the other adult, looking at the three children with him "My wife is in Lothering, said she needed a few things." Harry tore his attention from the adults, looking at the children once more, taking in their appearance once more. "The older one is Garrett" he heard the man say, and the boy in question grinned and waved at his mother. He had short messy hair, much like Harry's own. His eyes were a golden color, and it was kind of mesmerizing, such beautiful color, he looked further down, seeing that the older boy had something of a beard already on his face, even if it was shallow at best. He wore a sleeveless red shirt, showing the muscle he was developing from constant exercising by the looks of it. To complete his clothing he wore black pants and boots.

"The one who's glaring is one half of the twins, Carver" Harry turned his attention from the older of the siblings, to the boy looking toward him specifically and glaring unashamedly. He also had short hair, although his was tame in comparison to his older brother's, his eyes were completely different, icy blue orbs glaring in his direction; something that really amused him; he wore something similar to his older sibling, sleeveless shirt; in his case, a white one; over black pants and boots. He looked more like his father out of the siblings, although the similarities ended there. "And this little sunshine is the other half, Bethany." His eyes traveled to her, taking in her long wavy black hair; a common trait among the siblings, black hair; and as he looked into her eyes he was reminded why he thought her older brother's eyes were beautiful; her golden eyes stared at him as he eyed her, causing him to blush. He noticed she wore a blue dress, with long sleeves. He dared not look how far down the dress went, embarrassed as he was already. "As I said, my wife, Leandra, is not here at the moment. Personally, I believe I'd have to be insane not to take such an offer, but I need to speak to her before anything else." He saw his mother nod at that, and then turn his way, probably in order to leave, but a moment later, the older Hawke spoke up. "Why don't you stay for a while? Mother shouldn't be long now, and we were about to eat." As if on cue, Harry's stomach growled; magic always made him hungry, and exhausted; and his mother laughed at his blush "well, it seems my son is leaving me no choice" she said, mostly in understanding of how his magic worked; if he was weak, he could potentially kill them both trying to **apparate** back home; and she turned once more to the Hawke patriarch. "I hope we are not imposing?" She asked and the man shook his head, a smile on his face. "Of course, not, there's always room for more at our table, come on."

After they ate, Harry took Bethany's hand and took the girl outside in order to show her that he'd learned how to actually fly using his wings. They left the house, walking a few paces away from it, before Harry let go of her hand, excitement clear in his eyes, he spread his scaly black wings and took flight, eliciting an excited yell from the girl. "Can you carry someone while flying?" She asked, and as he landed again; he had only done a quick flight around the house to show her; he would respond, were it not for the gasp that drew both of their attention to the newcomer, an older woman, hair mostly grey, but that was the only thing showing her age too, as the woman didn't look her years, instead she looked like a beautiful young woman. Harry looked from one to another and he could clearly see the resemblance between them, reaching the only conclusion he could from that.

He approached the older woman, bowing to her "hello…you must be Lady Hawke. I'm Harry Cousland." He said, and as the woman got over her initial shock; _Bethany must have told her about the wings_ he surmised, as the older female was taking it quite well, all things considered; she offered him a bow of her own "you are quite right, my lord Cousland, I'm Leandra Hawke, at your service." He smiled at her, waving dismissively as he heard the title "I'm no lord, Lady Hawke, at least that's what mother says." He chuckled, and looked to Bethany, wondering why she wasn't greeting her mother, when he saw his own mother, arms crossed under her chest, smirking at him. "That's because you act like a scoundrel. Learn to behave and you might get praise one day." She ignored his protests and went straight to Leandra, and offered her hand in greeting. "I'm Eleanor Cousland; it's a pleasure to meet you." The female responded in similar fashion, taking the offered hand, before both turned to the house, and as they walked toward it, his mother laid her offer "We were just talking, your husband and I, about an offer my husband made" he saw the Hawke matriarch raise an eyebrow in curiosity just as they passed him, and fighting the urge to follow them, he turned to Bethany. "So…you wanted to know if I can carry someone, yes?"

* * *

 **†** **Timeskip: One Year Later †**

They were close now, they could sense the darkspawn through their shared taint, and there was no mistaking it, there were at least a dozen of them nearby. It was not unheard of, a minor darkspawn attack even if not during Blight, but this was different, and this seemed almost…coordinated. The very thought chilled them, and for that reason they had thought to investigate. The leader of the group, Duncan, turned his head to the other members of the Fereldan Chapter of the Grey Wardens; the Grey Wardens were the response to the Blight, they carried the taint, but did not become one of the spawn for many years, and were granted the ability to sense other darkspawn, and to **know** when an archdemon was awakened; turned his attention to his followers, his black hair, greying at the temples and tied in a low ponytail flowing in the wind, his honey colored eyes looking upon the recruits he'd been given to keep the Fereldan Chapter alive after the exile of the wardens was lifted by king Maric. A hand came to his bearded chin _I hope this is not the start of another blight_ he thought as he bid them continue a moment later, as any delay could mean the lives of innocent folk.

They had been on the track for days now, and they never seemed to come any closer than they already were, and it worried him. Duncan once more looked to his Ensigns, to see the same concern that troubled his thoughts on their faces. "We will camp here for the night; it will do us no good to come upon the Darkspawn unfit." The others nodded at his words, and silently, each one took to one task, one began clearing an area for their camp, another had taken his bow in hand to look for something for them to eat, and the last one, an elf, took to the trees, in order to be their watch. Duncan himself pulled a backpack he carried with him for this mission, pulling out of it a map of Ferelden. He knew the land well enough, but he **needed** to know why the spawn had taken an interest in Lothering. And why now of all times, he was quite sure there was no Archdemon, or else the attacking force would number in the hundreds, not just a dozen. He looked upon the map, pulling a quill and a notebook, he quickly scribbled down where they were, and how long it might take them to reach the place he could sense the Darkspawn heading to. "What would they want there…?" he asked himself in a low whisper, his quill coming to land on an empty piece of land, just a mile outside of Lothering.

* * *

They were fairly happy, Harry and Bethany. They had become close during the time he had spent training with her father, and although it amounted to nothing; as his branch of magic was much too different from the one Malcolm was used to for him to be of any real help; the Hawke family was allowed to stay in Highever, as not only did that mean that although unable to help him in his magical studies, Malcolm could help the family with another little problem; Fergus' son, Oren had begun showing signs of being a mage; Eleanor could play matchmaker, as she so wanted her soon to be with the Hawke youngest, believing the girl would be what he needed in order for him to become the lord she knew he could be.

Harry hand his arm around Bethany's waist as they walked back to where they would meet with her father; they had gone to Lothering so she could see some of the few friends she had there, including a chantry sister who would tell **the best stories** according to her. In the end, not only did he agree that this Leliana was a pretty amazing story-teller, they had also lost track of time, hearing to her spin tales upon tales about a bard's adventures in the lands to the west. It was already darkening when they left Lothering to meet her father at their old house, from where they would return to Highever; Harry's apparition being quite the help in these trips of theirs; but as they get close to the house, the growls and shouting made the pair break into a run, the intimate embrace as they walked forgotten as Bethany sped ahead, the desire to get to her father compelling her forward, as Harry pulled his daggers and did the same.

They came upon the scene of Malcolm trying to fight off some creature they had never seen before, and although there were three corpses on the ground; one being of a large creature with horns; the older mage seemed to be running out of juice to cast with, as he was panting and sweating. He was fighting them with his staff, which had a blade on one side of it. "Father!" Bethany cried, getting the attention of the older male, but also of the big creature he had been fending off. The creature looked from her to her father, seemingly processing which one was the better prey, and deciding that going after the unarmed child would be a better plan than to continue fighting a trained warrior. The massive monster ignored Malcolm's existence altogether, brushing past him as it started on its way to Bethany. Not only the big one came her way either, Harry noticed, the others had heard the outburst and were intent on killing the newcomers as well. Harry ran with all his might; he had been left behind by her, and then upon seeing the monstrosities Malcolm was fighting he froze momentarily; and got to Bethany's side the moment a tall figure did, it wielded a massive two handed sword, it's skin seemed rotten, it's coloration almost completely lost, and the white dead eyes that stared at him unnerved him.

He didn't have long to be unnerved, however, as the very next moment the giant sword came crashing down on him, forcing him to roll away, pulling Bethany with him. He recovered fast enough, and was upon the most moments later, his daggers slashing at its skin as he danced around its slow movements and swings. Soon there was a second one upon him, a smaller one; size of a dwarf; this one wielding two daggers much like he was, and the little dance he had been doing intensified. He had no time to check on Bethany anymore, and just hoped she was faring well. He dodged an overhead strike from the bigger monsters, and then was immediately forced to parry a blow from the daggers. Harry looked to the one with the two handed weapon, wondering why his slashes were not impeding its aggressiveness when he noticed that there was no wounds on the being anymore, all of his slashes had been for nothing as it simply healed. He continued fighting, however, as it wasn't just about himself, this fight. He would not let these creatures hurt Bethany, no matter what happened. He dodged the big sword once again, and sidestepped the double thrust the smaller creature tried on him, answering with a double stab of his own, to the being's head. Unlike the other wounds he had inflicted on the adult sized one, the smaller one didn't recover, apparently a strike to the brain; did those things even have brains?; was enough to cut any healing powers it had, and he was glad for that. Now only one remained.

A shout from Bethany pulled his attention from his fight, and he saw the huge monstrosity smashing her father into the ground with its massive hands. He turned his attention back to the monster he had been fighting, rolling out of the way of a horizontal attack before he sprinted to Bethany, he was under attack herself, from another of the small ones. Harry guessed that she had been able to dodge the thing's attacks for some time, but her father's demise stunned her, as the little creature now closed in for the kill, even as he ran as fast as he could; he didn't think they'd get separated as they did; and in a desperate move, he tried casting one of his spells, an **Expelliarmus** to be exact, in order to take away the monster's advantage, but the spell had no effect on the small thing, and it continued advancing on Bethany, eliciting a quiet "Shit" from Harry, who doubled his effort to be there on time.

"Well…shit" he rasped out, the two daggers sticking from his abdomen even as he stabbed the small thing with his weapons, making it fall lifeless to the ground a moment later. There were still three to deal with, and even as his sight grew blurry, the young boy took a defensive stance in front of Bethany. They would **not** hurt her, not while he drew breath. Pain began spreading through his body, not as intense as the pain he felt after his fight with his **inner dragon** but it was still a burning sensation, as though he was being burned from inside. He noticed the remaining monsters turn their back on him, leaving both he and Bethany as they regressed to whatever nightmare they'd crawled out of. Harry, unable to maintain his defiance, fell to his knees, blood seeping from his mouth as he fell backward. He didn't know what happened, as his consciousness was already slipping away, but he could hear shouting and fighting coming from nearby…"I'm sorry...Bethany" he whispered unsure if he would even be heard "couldn't...save...your father..." he desperately had wanted to, as he knew she loved her father very much "I...I...love..." unable to hang on to consciousness, Harry closed his eyes, for what he was quite sure was the last time.

* * *

AN: Another chapter \o Okay, so I got a few reviews and after thinking it through it's gonna be a Harry/Bethany/Leliana triangle, because like I said, after thinking it through it fit, Leliana's personality doesn't conflict with either of the two, nor what I have planned for them. Garrett will be with Aveline, Isabela stays the free spirit she is (despite the fact I love her personality, I don't know how to write a character that won't commit to the relationship they're in, even if it's a triangle/harem situation) Amell(OC) will be with Morrigan because Morrigan. I will bring the Dwarf Noble into the picture as well, and he'll be with Sigrud, eventually. When it gets there, the Inquisitor will be with Cassandra, Iron Bull will be with Dorian (watched a few videos of this romance and it's both amusing and cute) and I'm open for more suggestions, as well as OCs...now before people go haywire over this, I'm asking for OCs because we ARE creating an army this time, not a handful like in the games.

Another thing, I will follow the timeline, but not canon (most of the time, although I will still follow canon sometimes like in this chapter, Malcolm still dies, but with a twist) so I ask that you expect a lot of things to be different. I fully intend on having the Cousland family live (I hated it that they died in the first place) as well as a few other changes '0'  
Let's see...what else is there...oh, I'm kinda late but Merry Christmas! And a wonderful New Year to all of you 3

And also, for the OCs, I'll need you guys to provide me a few things:  
Name;  
Age;  
Race;  
Personality;  
Faction; (Dalish/Alianage Elf,Surface Dwarf,Noble/MAgi/Rogue Human, Warden Ensign(Now you know why I didn't describe the ones with Duncan =3) I'll even allow Tal'Vashoth/Vashoth/Spies, which I don't remember the name at the moment)  
Appearance; (Doesn't have to be anything much, just an overall look on what the character looks like and what type of clothing he/she wears)  
Origin; (Orlais, Ferelden, Par Vollen, Free Marches, Antiva, Rivain, you know)  
Background; (A little story so I know what I'm dealing with, how your character came to be in Ferelden...)  
Specialization; (You can combine two different classes too, like a duelist with templar, or a shadow with blood magic, be creative here, just don't expect overpowerness from it, since Darkspawn will be doing the same)

I did something similar on another story, and given that you only ever get a handful of characters to fight a whole motherfucking army I decided to apply the same here. Like I said there, I can just conjure up random ass characters with random backgrounds, but I think this lets you guys interact with the story. Hopefully you guys like this xD

Comment responding time:

ChaosAvatar18: Hey, no problemo. To be honest I'm just in love with Dragon Age all over again at the moment, so I'm focusing on this (I even had an idea for another DA crossover, I'm just wondering if I should do it a Naruto X or another HP one) And I plan on spanning all three DA games, although I'm still playing through Inquisition atm.

Vampirelord101: First of all...I don't plan on blowing up '-' please don't blow me up '0' anyway...I thought it over and yes Leliana it is, not only do I love the character personally, she also plays well with what I have planned.

PenguinWarlords: I plan on continuing this, so don't worry =3 I hope you continue to enjoy the story. Haha I'm glad the story got you this excited about it, but I'm sorry to inform the third person in the pairing is already decided, although now I'm also wondering what that would be like xD anyway thanks again =3

Fireofargentis: Although I plan on going through all three games, I'm sorry to say I don't know Josephine much yet (I'm mostly at the beginning of Inquisition right now xD) so I couldn't really make that work even if I wanted to ._. sorry and I hope you continue enjoying the story =3

IIIIII guess...that's it for noooow...? can't really remember anything else so that'll be all

Hope you guys like it, Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year to you all =3

See ya \o


	4. I'm a Wizard, Duncan

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Dragon Age, or any other Book/Game referenced in this story.

"Talking"

 _Thinking_

 **"Demonic/Draconic Speech" / Emphasized Word**

 _'Diary Narration' / 'Book Reading'_

 ** _Chapter 4: I'm a Wizard, Duncan_**

* * *

His eyes opened slowly, and he did not need to shelter his eyes from the light, which gave the impression that he was, once more, in the space where he faced his draconic copy before. He looked around to find his duplicate, only he was changed. His eyes were no longer the wild yellow, but now were white. His skin was deathly pale; paler than Harry had ever been; and it was decaying, there were already missing chunks of skin here and there, and Harry turned his attention back to its face, unable to continue his survey. "You're awake. Finally." It said, and even its voice was different. Whereas before it sounded just like him, now it spoke in a whisper, but it felt as though it wasn't because it wanted to, but for lack of air to do so.

"You have been asleep for days now…" It said, and Harry tilted his head slightly in question, and surprise as he thought he'd only been out a few hours after the battle. "As you remember, we were struck. The blade was infected with…the blight; yes those were darkspawn; and we were dying." Harry's eyes widened, almost comically and he was about to start panicking when his doppelganger raised a hand to stay him. "We were saved, however, by…someone. They forced some liquid…down your throat and it helped you…" Harry was about to ask why it looked the way it did if those people saved him, when it continued speaking, predicting the question. "I know what you're going to ask…you want to know why I look the way I do, yes?" It paid little mind to the nod of Harry's head before continuing. "I am not real. That much is obvious. I am a magical representation of your animal side. Or at least, I was." Harry could understand it so far. When an animagus learn their animal identity, their magic shapes in order to accommodate the beast, the side effect being the creation of this…golem, of sorts. "As the blight changed you, it changed me as well. Whereas before I was a magical manifestation of your beast, now I'm the manifestation of your corruption, a reminder of what you'll one day become." Harry, despite being unnerved by the revelation, nodded his head, accepting it, and quite understanding it too.

"There is one thing I don't quite understand…" it said, closing its eyes and turning its head slightly to the side as though trying to hear something better. "I am not real…not really anyway, but I hear…something…a voice, calling out to me, for help…" It stopped for a moment, before its eyes opened abruptly. "A dragon! It calls out for help, it's being tortured…somewhere underground…but it's too late for that…it wants to be slain, it doesn't want to become…a monster…?" it turned its attention back to Harry, eyes narrowed in concentration, trying to hear whatever it was it heard as well as trying to translate from their language to something a human would understand. Its face remained like that for a while, before it sighed and shook its head "that's all the voice says…" he shook his head turning his attention to Harry, who couldn't stop the question that came out of his lips "If you are truly not alive, how can you hear the call of that dragon?" His doppelganger smiled, as though expecting that question. "I'm not sure" it said, eyes closing once again. "As I told you, I'm a magical construct, but I was created by your **other** magic, before you lost it, thanks to the Blight. Maybe in changing you, it also changed me, and I actually **am** alive now, in a way. Maybe, despite still being made of magic, I now may be like those spirits from the fade, ever wishing to interact with the real world but unable to…except, of course, I already have a host, of sorts."

For a moment Harry was unsure how to respond, but he eventually just laughed at what his counter-part said. "So…what? I'm an abomination right off the bat, is that what you're saying?" He asked, eyebrow raising in genuine curiosity. "Of course not! There would be no use if we were to become an abomination. Besides, I said I'm **like** a spirit of the fade, not a demon, and even then I'm not entirely sure what I am either, maybe I can hear the dragon's voice because you're also infected, and will eventually hear it yourself…?" Harry took a moment to think on it, but ended up nodding his agreement. "Could be true, you **are** a reflection of me, as you've said…could be something to ask the Grey Wardens then?" His clone nodded, and they just stared at each other for a moment, before Harry started disappearing from the space they were. "Remember to ask about the dragon, yes?" His doppelganger asked as his face disappeared, and he only had time to nod his acknowledgement before he opened his eyes, looking upward inside a tent.

* * *

Duncan eyed the other wardens gathered around the campfire. They were still waiting for the young man to recover from his Joining, his eyes wandered to the tent the two were in, before going back to his brothers. "…I'll oversee their training. The girl is a mage, obviously, but magic alone won't save her from the Darkspawn now. The boy…is **unique** " one of the gathered muttered "monster" but he paid it no mind, he wouldn't judge the kid without evidence of what he was. "And he seems to be life fighting with two blades…much like myself, so I'll be a good teach in that regard. I need you to investigate this. They attacked Malcolm for a reason. Did they know of his involvement in sealing Corypheus, and if they did, why kill him outright? They could take him away to undo the barrier…this troubles me." The others nodded at his words, the new Ensigns forgotten momentarily. He wanted to know why the Darkspawn would target Malcolm directly like they did, specifically why did they intend on killing him, given that they would need him alive in order to release Corypheus from his imprisonment.

Unless…the Darkspawn didn't want Corypheus freed? If that was the case, what had Corypheus done to cause this rift between him and the darkspawn? Duncan wanted to continue pondering on it, but a shout of "He's awake!" from Bethany pulled him from his inner musings, and he, along with his companions stood from their place and walked into the tent the boy rested in. He stopped as soon as he entered, his eyes firmly on the green slit eyes of the boy he'd saved quite some time ago. "Bethany's been filling me in on what happened. Thank you for saving her." He said, bowing to the older of the group, which just happened to be Duncan himself. The older man chuckled at the boy, noting he wasn't thanking them for saving **him** but for saving someone he cared for. "I was about to apologize for turning both of you into Grey Wardens, but it seems that is unneeded." He replied warmly, and the boy smiled openly at him, nodding his head.

Harry looked at each of the Wardens gathered in front of him, noticing quite clearly that the only one who even seemed to attempt being nice toward him was the older looking one. He decided to ignore the others, focusing his attention on the man. "I'm sure you know my name by now, but I'm Harry Cousland, at your service." He bowed again as he introduced himself, and then extended his arm for a shake of hands, which the man reciprocated "and I'm Duncan, a pleasure to meet you, master Cousland." His voice was strong, something Harry noticed from his father, despite his looks, and he knew to respect the man. "I will be your guide in these first years of yours, Ensign Cousland, Ensign Hawke. I expect your obedience to our rules, as much as I'm expected to improve your already considerable skills." Harry saw the others snort and turn around, leaving the tent, probably having their own orders to carry out. The man seemed to relax a little as they left, most likely there was some tension involving what to do with him among them.

"Now that they're out of here…" his voice changed, from the strong yet kind tone to a harsh commanding one, and Harry couldn't help but flinch. The man inspected his wings once more before looking into his eyes. "You don't look like any abomination I've ever encountered, so I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. Be warned, should I not like your answer…" the his left hand, which was relaxed until that moment, reached for the weapon in the scabbard at his hip, and Harry gulped slightly. He was a mage, and his hand-to-hand combat was sub-par at best, despite his mother's best efforts to teach him. It had been something he noticed in that fight, he was too dependent of his magical abilities, and when they failed he could barely hold his own. He just thanked whatever god may be watching over him for careless Darkspawn. "I'm not completely human, it's true…" he saw the man tense and his hand grasp at the hilt of the blade, and hurried with his explanation "but I'm no abomination either! I'm a shapeshifter, but when I was learning to shift to dragons, I must have messed up at some point and not only did I lose the ability to shift, but this" he gestured at himself "is permanent. You could say I'm a half-dragon." It wasn't hard to come up with a cover story. This world had its own share of animagus, after all, they only had a different name for it.

Duncan seemed to be contemplating his story for a moment, before he saw the man's hand leave the weapon's hilt and he nodded, accepting the explanation. "My knowledge of magic isn't that extensive but I know enough to understand this type of strangeness can happen. Doesn't mean you're not gonna be watched. At least until I'm sure I can trust you, you understand…" Harry nodded; it'd be kind of disappointing if the man just accepted whatever he said at face value. "With that out of the way, I must tell you our destination. We'll be heading to the Deep Roads, as I feel there is no better way to prepare you for your duty than to show you what you'll be facing firsthand…" before he could say more, Harry interrupted him, although reluctantly "I'm very sorry sir, but may we pass my family's land on the way to Orzammar? I…we need to tell our family what happened…" there was sadness in his tone, and Duncan seemed understand that the shock of losing someone close was settling in now, as before they were both fighting for their lives, and couldn't afford to lament the loss properly, as he nodded and smiled kindly at them. "Of course…the trip will serve for you to properly grieve your loss as well…" He said. "Very well then, to Highever it is." And like that, the two new Grey Warden Ensigns began their journey.

The journey back was quiet for the first few days. They were making their way to Denerim, as Duncan had explained he had business there with a contact of his about possible recruits. He didn't share much, but the little he explained helped them figure he was expecting the darkspawn to become a much bigger threat in the coming years. Harry and Bethany stayed a few paces back from him, speaking to each other about the change to their lives, but Duncan did notice that Bethany had taken Harry's hand in hers for comfort and did not let go since, walking close beside him. As he'd promised he was mostly watching Harry for any reason to believe he'd become an abomination, but seeing that interaction from the two put a small smile on his face. "We should rest here for the night, there's still another day of march ahead of us before we arrive in Denerim, and it would be pointless to tire ourselves needlessly." With that he stopped, and pulled from his back the materials he'd brought for camping. "I'll look for firewood, if that's okay with you sir" Bethany asked, albeit a bit timidly; she was still uneasy around him, and with her new position; to which he simply nodded, allowing the younger female to walk away into the woods, leaving him with Harry for a moment.

"You know, I've been meaning to talk to you…alone" Harry said after a moment, allowing Bethany to get beyond hearing range so he could speak freely. "I noticed you've been watching me, and honestly I understand it. Ever since I was infected, my brand of magic has left me, and I am now vulnerable to the Fade and whatever that entails…" they were a few feet apart, Harry preparing his and Bethany's tent while Duncan was fixing his. "I don't know what it means to be an abomination, as I didn't have the need to worry about that, and I honestly believed I never would need to …" Harry sighed, he was getting nowhere with his ravings, so he took a deep breath and decided to approach his concern directly. "The point I'm trying to get to is, I still have this avatar inside me, and as I was unconscious we were able to talk about these changes, and he told me he hears a cry of…a dragon…? Coming from our link with the Blight, and we theorized it was because he was an actual draconic avatar that he could distinguish it from the rest of the screeching as he calls it." Harry wasn't looking directly at Duncan so he missed the man tense as he spoke "As far as we know, there aren't any dragons left in Ferelden, at least no real ones, so what is it he's hearing from the Blight?" Harry turned around, only to take an instinctive step back as he saw the proximity of Duncan, who had a hand on his sword, as if meaning to draw it. "When did this happen? This…inner dragon of yours?" The man's voice was low, and came out as a growl, which immediately put Harry on the defensive. "I…I've had him since before I was infected, before I became a Grey Warden. You see before the Blight poisoned me, and I was turned into a Grey Warden, I was a different sort of mage. I had no connection to the Fade, couldn't be affected by any sort of magics fueled by it and couldn't affect anything touched by it." Duncan paused at that, and Harry almost sighed in relief, but he didn't feel like pushing his luck with the man at the moment. "I tried becoming an Animagus, which is my magic's branch of the Shape Shifters, but something went wrong. I was supposed to tame my inner beast, as it was called, but out dispute ended in a draw, something that doesn't normally happen. Either the beast is tamed and therefore not a threat or it **isn't** tamed and the human is the one who is no longer a threat." Duncan's hand was no longer on the hilt of his blade, his arms were now crossed as he had a curious look on his face, regarding Harry as he told his little tale.

"Remember when I said something went wrong? Well, because I couldn't win, the transformation wasn't complete, and it became permanent. I am now officially half-dragon. If you could test my blood you would see it for the truth it is." Harry sighed, passing a hand through his messy black hair, his slit green eyes showing his own confusion over the recent developments. "I am stuck in this…half form forever, but don't get me wrong, I quite like it. I am stronger than any human, I am faster as well. Otherwise it would make no difference having these" he flexed his wings, smirking for the first time since his waking up "as I would be unable to effectively **use** them. The point I am trying to make is, I am not an abomination, as the avatar inside me would have to have been a Fade creature for that to happen, yes? A demon from the fade must possess a human host in order for an abomination to be created, is that not so? Or did I learn my magic history wrong, Master Duncan?" It wasn't a defiant act, or even a mockery, and he hoped the man didn't see it as such; he was really trying to educate the man of the difference between him and an actual abomination.

There was a moment's pause and neither man spoke, rather coming to a silent consensus about his situation as a non-human Grey-Warden. Duncan could honestly see little flaw with the boy's reasoning, if he could conjure evidence of his claims to having a different set of magic skills. "I suppose, given your explanation of your…branch of magic, you will have proof of it, should I ask, young lord?" The boy seemed to pause momentarily before he beckoned the older man forward, inviting him into his tent. "Come, sit with me. I will bring you evidence…over a cup of tea maybe?" the boy entered his tent as he spoke, and Duncan decided to follow him, in case he had intended to try running away through the other side of the tent…only to be floored with the interior of said tent. It was humongous! It was like the boy had packed Highever castle into a bag and decided to travel with it. The old Warden looked around, eyes wide in wonder, taking it the details inside it. It took him a moment but he hear part of the boy's explanation about it. "…rather ingenious if you ask me, this charm is. It has lasting effects as you can see, since I no longer have the magic to sustain it…I do wonder if it is permanent though? Hmm, I'll need to read into it later…anyway, as I was saying. It is pretty simple, this charm. All I had to do was envision the space I wanted to create inside the bag, and with the correct array to help channel the magic, and sustain it, I can create this style of interior. I might have overdone it somewhat as this was my first attempt at using such magic, but I think the result was pretty good, wouldn't you say? Come, the kitchen is this way."

The pair sat at the table, watching each other as they sipped their tea. Harry was calmly watching Duncan, who was still trying to allow the new information sink in. Lying atop the table, open and turned toward the older Warden was a book on charms, specifically on the page on how to create such environments as the tent they resided in. "In there you'll find confirmation of what I've told you. This is one of the simpler spells to be honest, I've done a few of these for the rest of my family as well…along with a few other charms and wards in our castle…" Harry's voice lowered after that as though he was speaking to himself rater then to the older male "of course, I was never quite able to replicate de Fidelius spell, given it was one of the more complicated protections in that book…the defenses of the castle would be pretty basic as they are…" his concern for his family places a smile on the older Warden's face, that desire to protect was what the Wardens were all about, forsaking personal desires to ensure the safety of all of Thedas. His initial worries about the boy's status were somewhat quenched upon hearing this little rant of his about his **other magic** , but he would still be watched, one can never be too careful, after all.

* * *

 **† Timeskip: 3 Days Later †**

He walked the streets of Denerim, his home for the last few months, playing his lute as he watched the people go about their business. He usually wandered the street in search for employers. See, this man was a mercenary, and a pirate. He mostly took on jobs to protect merchandise on the sea, but every now and then a job on firm land would catch his attention, or he just wanted to spend some time on land. He watched with some interest as traders came and went, listening to conversations that seemed important to see if there was a chance for a job at any point.

He watched every interaction, hoping to catch something of interest, since he wasn't just after a job, the reason he had come to Denerim was personal, and he refused to leave before it had been resolved. He watched as a young lady weaved her way through the crowd, relieving them of possessions they clearly wouldn't miss. A grin slowly formed on his face, and he decided to keep tabs on her, if nothing else it should prove most entertaining. He continued playing, changing tunes every now and then to keep the people interested, he relished the in their compliments, he did bust his ass to learn new tunes, after all.

He saw, at the corner of his eyes, three nobles with a small contingent marching toward the Alienage, and the grin on his face, which was amused moments ago, turned dark and without knowing, so did the tune he was playing. He stalked the three nobles into the Alienage, dropping the lute as to not draw as much attention; really, people wouldn't notice him if not for the fact he had been playing in the first place; and as entered the elf side of Denerim soon after the nobles had, which was rather easy, considering he had a deal with one of the guard that they'd look away whenever he felt like **visiting** the knife-ears; not that he shared on their sentiment, but it was oh so easy to play the part; and as he walked through not long after the others, they didn't even question his motives.

* * *

"…I've only been to Denerim once before, with my father, but that was when I was much younger." He barely noticed he had stepped into the city of Denerim as he chatted with Bethany, his wings wrapped around him as much like a cape, as to not raise suspicion, it had worked so far, and hopefully it would continue to. They passed the church, dedicated to Andraste, and he noticed one of the sisters was purposely misquoting the chant, probably to piss off the one that kept chastising her.

As they approached the market, Duncan frowned upon a scene not common in those times of peace. The king, Cailan Theirin, fully armored and with his great sword in hand, speaking to the guards of the Alienage. He would have bit both of the young ones wait while he looked into the situation, but in their enthused curiosity, the children sped ahead, looking to find a good place from where they could watch the events unfold.

Duncan, whose reason for taking the trip to Denerim had a secondary reason he had kept to himself, walked up to the king, who upon seeing him approach smiled widely and opened his arms. Acting the fool in public as always, the king embraced him. "Ah, my friend! Always a pleasure to receive you." His eyes sent a different message, he noticed the intensity of the man's stare, the little motions he made toward the two imprisoned men close to him. It was then Duncan understood the kings intentions when he asked his presence. He had probably foreseen that something of the sort would happen, and he would have asked for more details on the matter but this seemed urgent.

"Sorry for the bad reception, but we are in the middle of something here. We are passing judgement on these men." No one interrupted the king. Duncan noticed Anora was close by, looking a little conflicted about something, but she remained silent, as usual, when in public. He knew Cailan often sought her counsel first, but for appearance's sake she only spoke her mind when in private or on meetings with the other lords of Ferelden. "They are charged with the murder of the young lord Vaughan. Even though they brought some **very** disturbing facts to light, facts which **will** be thoroughly investigated by me and my men, their actions cannot go unpunished."

Duncan felt his curiosity peak at that, what had the arl's son done that bore investigating? He turned his attention to the accused, his eyes first passing the human male, noticing he had been **really** restricted. There was a metal mask over his face, which kept him from really seeing him, but other than that he noticed the man was tall, taller than he was at the very least. He had short unruly, wavy black hair, which red tips. He had no shirt on, but seeing ripped pieces of clothing on his torso, Duncan believed it had been torn during the fighting. How he came to the conclusion there had been fighting involved? Easy, the man was covered in blood and cuts all over his body, so at least some sort of struggle happened.

There was one scar on his torso that stood out from the others, it began somewhere low on his crotch, as the man's pants seemed to cover at least some of it, and stopped just short of reaching his chest. The man hand his hands tightly tied behind his back, and his legs were tied in three different places. He wore dark baggy pants, and knee-high black boots. His attention then passed on to the other prisoner, but before he could really look at the elf, his attention was brought back to the king, who paced beside him.

"The murder of a noble, no matter the reason, is an act of treason against the crown, and as such punishable by death. The two before me, who swore to have acted alone, have invaded the Arl's estate, slaughtered his men, saved the hostages inside and killed the Arl's son and his noble companions." Duncan understood that little description was for his sake, to help him on the decision he was about to make.

"If I may, your majesty…" He finally spoke, taking the attention of the king and his audience. Cailan looked at him, a grateful look upon his eyes that he only caught because he knew the man for some time now. "These two have shown traits we could use in the Wardens, sire. There has been a recent attack, much too organized that leads me to believe we may be dealing with the beginning of a new Blight. I want to conscript both to the Wardens, so, in their remaining time alive, they may help against the oldest foe of all living things."

Cailan watched him for quite some time, and he really thought he had misinterpreted the signs the man had been sending him, but after what felt like an eternity, the king laughed and turned his attention to the onlookers. "I understand! You want them to repent by giving their lives to the grey. I accept, just know this, they are also banned from ever entering Denerim again. Should this stipulation be forsaken, they **will** be executed. Yes?" The two nodded their heads and the king visibly; to Duncan anyway; relaxed. "Undo the restraints men, and allow the two to be on their way, along with the Grey Wardens."

The men took the bindings off the two, and as they pulled the mask, Duncan understood why it had been necessary, the young man's face was covered in blood, and his teeth as he grinned at him, were painted in blood. The five had begun to walk away from Denerim, but as he passed the crowd, he felt a hand trying to worm its way to his hip, where he kept the bag of money. Duncan turned his head ever so slightly toward the offender, noticing a girl, hair bound by a bandana, the only reason he saw that its color was a reddish one, was the ponytail. He grabbed her hand as she was moving onward.

"I believe you have something of mine, young lady." He said, not really angry at the young woman, having been a thief himself in his younger days, he understood her somewhat. "Och! I can'nae believe me luck!" He heard her say, mostly to herself, and figured she much have been a pirate or at least lived close to the port. He'd seen many sailors and most of them used the same wording she had just used. "I'll give ye yer fuckin bag back, le' go of me hand, ye…" she seemed to notice something about his clothing then, and her tone changed completely. "Wai' a sec…yer a Grey Warden?" He nodded and the girl launched into an excited speech, and he knew then she had been controlling her accent before, because as she began speaking again, he was glad more than a few Wardens he lived with were former pirates and sailors, otherwise he might have been completely lost. "Och! Tae tell tha truth me ma is…or was…a Warden too. I can'nae believe me luck! Dae ye know her? I think she said somethin' abou' goin' tae tha dwarves' fer somethin'…" Duncan chuckled at first, given how she had been quite rude at first, but upon learning of his status as a Warden, launched into a tirade about her mother, but then she mentioned exactly **where** it was her mother had gone off to, and his mood soured, and he couldn't help but feel bad for the girl.

"I think I know where she went, child. Say, the Wardens could always use spirited young people like yourself, especially during times like these, if my hunch is correct…" He would have continued, but Cailan approached a moment later, gesturing the young woman. "What is this? A thief?" He looked from Duncan to the young lady and seemed to be about to take custody of her for the crime, but Duncan, sighing in his mind decided to intervene. "Your majesty, I would like to conscript her into the wardens as well." Said girl looked between the two, apparently apprehensive over the casual tone both men used to discuss her fate.

"I dunnae about tha'. I jus' wanted tae see me ma, bu' didnae think ye meant it about joinin' tha Wardens." She seemed to think it over for a moment, before continued "Ye know, I think I'll take ye on tha offer." The king smiled at Duncan at that, waving them away, reminding Duncan he had to people who'd been banned from Denerim still in his company. "I will return when their training is done, there are many things we need to discuss, your majesty."

* * *

AN: Sorry for taking a while to post this, I'm no longer taking meds but the speech pattern for a new character introduced in this chapter took me a while to gather the courage to even try lol. I'll continue my schedule as planned but I wanna know something, should I continue writing Sirena's (an reader's OC) speech like that (I'm trying to emulate scottish with a bit of stereotype pirate accent) if it's too bad lemme know and I'll write mostly a normal way, just a few hints here and there that she has a scottish accent.

I hope the explanation talk between Harry and his inner dragon is actually explanative and not confusing lol. I know I could have said it better, and I'll correct that mistake next chapter but the reason Harry is a half-dragon is, when an animagus changes into their animal form, they turn into said animal, the fact that Harry is stuck mid transformation means that his body in stuck between transforming into a dragon and remaining human, therefore, half-dragon. Not the best explanation? Not accurate? Well, that's magic for you, it makes the impossible possible '-'

Anyway, the next few chapter will contain in no particular order, Bethany and Harry getting together, Harry and Bethany being transporter into his home world, the first meeting with Morrigan and Harry meeting The Father.

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I certainly enjoyed writing it

See ya \o

EDIT: I COMPLETELY FORGOT! Sorry '-'

Okay as you can see from this chapter, the origins characters (some of them anyway) will be saved, so I'll be taking profiles for those too. The Amell character is now up for grabs, since I changed the OC from the Amell mage, to a whole new character. So far I fully plan on saving, the Dwarven noble and castless, the city and dalish elf. Reasoning behind them is, the dalish elf is actually relevant to the plot, given the discovery of the eluvian, and city elf I finally played the female part these days and fuck me I felt I needed to do this, the dwarves...noble because they are the most knowleadgeble race when it comes to Darkspawn, and because dwarves will serve as an anchor of sorts in the battles to come, and the castless because Harry will be taking over the Carta and he'll still be imprisoned '-'

That's actually all origins, save the mage elf...lel '-'

Anyway, that was it, now I'm really done.

See ya, again =3


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